Federation President meets with Commonwealth Minister to discuss diaspora engagement

Ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in 2018, the President of the National Federation of Cypriots in UK, Christos Karaolis, met with Lord Ahmad, Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the United Nations, as well as representatives of other diaspora communities. The roundtable discussion touched on many topics, including diaspora engagement, the role that the UK Cypriot diaspora could play during the summit and how Commonwealth diasporas can effectively collaborate with each other.

The 2018 Commonwealth Summit will be structured around four forums (People, Business, Youth and Women). As well as Commonwealth nations, the UK-based diasporas of Commonwealth nations will play a leading role in making the summit a success.

Following the meeting, Mr Karaolis said: “The Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit is a unique opportunity to showcase the active role and contribution of the UK Cypriot diaspora, as well as helping to define and & launch initiatives that will drive real change in countries around the world. We are looking forward to working closely with Lord Ahmad, colleagues from other Commonwealth diasporas as well as the Commonwealth Summit Unit to ensure that the summit is a success.”

The National Federation of Cypriots in the UK is the official, representative body and acknowledged voice of Cypriots in the UK. It was founded shortly after the illegal Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 to coordinate and represent the UK Cypriot diaspora, which now consists of 300,000 people